1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and more particularly to such recording apparatus in which the recording paper is carried by a paper carrying means under the action of a suction force. According to the invention, the recording paper is carried while keeping it in contact with a stationary suction plate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recording with a recording head or heads such as is known in ink jet recording, a certain distance is maintained between the recording head and the recording paper during recording. In this case, it is essential to keep the distance constant at all times during recording. Otherwise, the quality of the recorded image is variable and is often reduced.
In many of the known recording apparatus of the above-mentioned type, therefore, there has been used a paper carrying belt provided with a large number of suction holes formed therein. A negative pressure generation means has been provided on the back side of the belt to apply a negative pressure to the recording paper from the back side through the suction holes. In this manner, the recording paper is held flat on the belt by which the paper is being carried to the recording position. At the recording position, a desired ink jet recording operation on the recording paper held on the belt. However, such a conventional device for carrying the recording paper has been found to have the following drawbacks:
(1) It is very difficult to provide the large number of suction holes in the belt;
(2) The belt is not so arranged as to extend over the whole width of the recording paper. There are portions of the recording paper under which the belt is not present widthwise. Therefore, it is very difficult to attain the same desired flatness of the recording paper for both of the portion at which the belt is present and the portion at which the belt is not present. It is only attainable at great expense.
(3) The device is not easy to assemble.
(4) It needs belt tensioning means and means for the prevention of offset of the belt. Therefore, the structure of the device is very complicated.